Administrator op john



mimesa. Patented Jan. .31, I899.

' J. CONOVER, Decd. 1

o. M. WALKER, Administrator. POCKET KNIFE.

(N9 Illbdel.)

Gimm

UNirED STATES v PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER M. \VALKER, OF RAOCOON, INDIANA, ADMINISTRATOR OF JOHN OONOVER, DECEASED.

POCKET-KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,488, dated January 31, 1899.

Application filed September 14,1897. Serial No. 651,701. (No model.)

Knives, of which the following is a specifica tion.

This invention relates to cutlery, and is in the nature of a pocket-knife having an opening and closing blade provided with concealed means, whereby the blade may be locked in either its open or closed position.

The object of this invention is to provide a pocket-knife which when open or closed will have the appearance of an ordinary pocketknife, but which cannot be opened from its closed position or closed from its open position without the manipulation of certain concealed means for unlocking the parts.

Vith this object in view this invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of details hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which this invention most nearly appertains to make and use the same, its construction and operation will now be described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of the knife, the blade being closed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the knife, one of the pivotal handles being at right angles to the other, a position it attains in opening or closing when about one-fourth of the necessary movement of the handle-piece has been made. Fig. 3 is a similar View of the knife with the parts in another of the positions they assume during the act of opening or closing. Fig. 4is a I similar view of the knife with the blade open.

view of the various parts which combine to make up the improved knife detached from each other.

Like letters of reference mark the same parts wherever they occur in the various figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by letters,A is one handle-piece, and B the other handle-piece, and C the blade, these three parts being pivoted together by a pin D. In the inside of each of the handle-pieces and arranged concentrically with the pivot-pin D are semicircular grooves E and E, the groove E in the handle-piece A being in the inner edge and the groove E in the handle-piece B being in the outer edge. The blade has-a pin F projecting from one side thereof, which works in the groove E of the handle-piece A, and a pin F projecting from its opposite side and on the opposite side of the pivotal pin, which works in the groove E of the handle-piece B during the opening or closing of the knife.

When the knife is in its closed position, the pin F of the blade is in the end E of the groove E, and when it is in an open position it is in the end E thereof. When the pin F is in the end E of the groove E, the pin F is in the end E of the groove E, and when the pin F is in the end E of the groove E the pin F is in the end E of the groove E.

Concealed between the metal and horn or other covering of the handle-piece B is a longitudinally-slidable pin G, to which the tipplate H is secured by means of a T-headed lug I, which when in position is seated in an undercut slot J in the handle-piece. On the metallic portion of the handle-piece A is a lug K, which when the handle-pieces are together, as in Figs. 1, 4, and 5, rests in a pocket or recess K in the handle-piece B. A perforation K through the lug K lies in line and registers with the longitudinally-arranged slidable pin G, before mentioned. The provision of the grooves E and E in the handlepieces and the pins F and F in the blade prevents the blade from being moved forward or out from between the handle-pieces when closed and also prevents the blade being moved toward the closing position when the handle-pieces are open, so that inorder to open the blade from the closed position or close it from the open position one of the handie-pieces must be moved around with it. In order to move either of the handle-pieces around with the blade, the handle-pieces must be separated, so that the lug K will not be seated in the pocket K of the handle-piece B. This can only be done when the slidable pin G is withdrawn from engagement with the lug K. In order to withdraw the pin G from engagement with the lug K, the tip-plate H, which, as before stated, is connected to the slidable pin, is moved, ordinarily by placing the finger-nail against its inner end and pushing outward, to the position shown in Fig. 2. This having been done, it becomes possible to spring the two handle-pieces apart, so as to disengage the lug K from its pocket K in the handle-piece B and to turn the handlepiece 13 on the pivotal pin of the handle-pieces and blade. During the first half of the turning of the handle-pieces around--that is to say, until the handle-piece B has reached a position exactly opposite the handle-piece A- the knife will remain in the position shown in Fig. 2, lying in the recess formed to receive it in the handle-piece A. When this position has been reached, however, the pin F will have reached the end E of the groove E in handle-piece B, and the further motion of the handle-piece around in the same direction will carry the blade around with it, extended in line with the handle-piece B, until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 4, where the handle-pieces will be lifted apart and the lug K engaged in the pocket K in the handlepiece B. To retain the parts in this position, it is only necessary to slide the tip-plate H back into the position shown in Fig. 4,which will prevent the handlepieces from being sprung apart, and this, as before stated, being a prerequisite to either the opening or closing of the knife the knife will be rigidly secured in its open position. To close the knife, this operation is reversed in every particular, and an extended description of the act of closing need not be given.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that when the tip-plate II is properly fitted it will be almost impossible to detect the fact that it is not an integral part of the handle, as is usually the case in pocketknives, thereby rendering it extremely difficult for any one not posted to learn the secret of opening or closing the knife.

Besides the advantages which this invention gives to the knife when constructed as a novelty or trick knife the construction herein shown and described will be preferredv for many purposes for other reasons, among which may be stated the facility with which every part of the knife can be cleaned, which will be a great advantage in a surgeons knife, permitting of all the parts being made aseptic.

Having thus fully described this invention, what is claimed as new is The combination of the handle-piece A provided with semicircular groove E and lug K, the handle-piece B provided with oppositelyplaced semicircular groove E, undercut slot J and pocket K to receive lug K, the blade (1 provided with pins F, F, projecting on each side to engage in the grooves E and E respectively, the pin D pivotally connecting the handle-pieces and blade and concentrically located with reference to the grooves and pins, the pin G mounted in handle-piece B to slide longitudinally therein, and engage in a correspondingly-situated perforation K in lug K, the undercut lug I secured to the pin G and slida-bly mounted in undercut slot J, and the tip-plate H secured to the undercut lug, substantially as described.

OLIVER M. \VALKER, Admim'st-rator of the estaze of John Conoz'er.

Witnesses:

S. L. J AMES, 0. R. EDWARDS. 

